(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Samantha Taylor embraces her husband, Specialist Alex Taylor, as almost 100 Soldiers from Utah Army National Guard’s Echo Battery, 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery, “Big Red” return after a 10-month Middle East deployment, on Tuesday April 9, 2019 at Wright Air Base in Salt Lake City.
Nearly 100 soldiers from Utah’s National Guard returned home Tuesday morning almost a year after deploying — and they were greeted by smiles, hugs and a few tears.
The state’s Echo Battery, 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery, nicknamed “Big Red," served a 10-month mission to the Middle East, providing security support and conducting artillery missions. They deployed last June. Capt. Jared Sorensen, commander of the group, said the job was “an opportunity to become better trained, better educated and stronger both physically and mentally.”
The guard members arrived at the air base in Salt Lake City just after 9 a.m. and were quickly surrounded by family and friends.